1000 Flowers for the Planet - #162 Reject Fracking

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #162 Reject Fracking

Fracking is a little difficult for me to explain so I have taken a quote from www.what-is-fracking.com :

“Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, is the process of extracting natural gas from shale rock layers deep within the earth. Fracking makes it possible to produce natural gas extraction in shale plays that were once unreachable with conventional technologies. Recent advancements in drilling technology have led to new man-made hydraulic fractures in shale plays that were once not available for exploration. In fact, three dimensional imaging helps scientists determine the precise locations for drilling.

Horizontal drilling (along with traditional vertical drilling) allows for the injection of highly pressurized fracking fluids into the shale area. This creates new channels within the rock from which natural gas is extracted at higher than traditional rates. This drilling process can take up to a month, while the drilling teams delve more than a mile into the Earth’s surface. After which, the well is cased with cement to ensure groundwater protection, and the shale is hydraulically fractured with water and other fracking fluids.”

This website is a pro-fracking site so I encourage you to read it for more information on this difficult topic. But I decided to make this an important Flower because plans are underway to introduce fracking into the California area and many people are rather unhappy about that, because it is where a lot of food is grown, and there are major concerns from growers that the groundwater could be polluted by the practice of fracking, threatening their livelihoods and food production. Furthermore, one side effect from the practice of fracking has been proven to cause earthquakes both directly and indirectly so I would have thought the San Andreas Fault line would be the last place you’d want to tempt fate.

The list of damaging effects on the environment include: health and safety concerns; use of undisclosed chemicals; leaking wells; air pollution; water contamination and water use.

Further websites that offer a lot of information, against fracking, are at:

http://www.dangersoffracking.com/

http://www.gaslandthemovie.com/whats-fracking

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #161 Buy Ethically Sourced Diamonds

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #161 Buy Ethically Sourced Diamonds

When choosing your diamond engagement ring the last thing on your mind is “where did this come from?” Sadly there are many people in developing countries who are being exploited in order to mine diamonds for us to wear. They are paid minimal wages, sometimes not enough to feed their family, and work in unsafe and appalling conditions. This isn’t the picture we want in our head when buying our gorgeous new piece of jewellery.

We can make the choice to buy only ethically sourced diamonds to ensure those who have worked hard to mine them have been dealt with fairly and work in safe conditions. Ask the jeweller for certification and if they cannot provide it, go to a different jeweller. Unfortunately, there are people who are low enough to sell unethical diamonds because they can buy them at a much cheaper price from the undesirables who own and manage mines where the workers and the environment are of little or no concern. These same people may even stoop to telling you their diamonds are ethical, but be diligent when shopping and purchase from well respected jewellers. Here in Australia our Argyle diamond mine produces beautiful stones whilst providing good working conditions for the miners and considering the environment. Canada also has an ethical mine and my research has discovered Namibia and Botswana have small-scale mines we should support.

Only by refusing to buy the stones mined unethically can we force the dark side of this industry into doing the right thing – looking after their people and the planet.

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #160 Buy Coconut Shell Buttons & Buckles

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #160 Buy Coconut Shell Buttons & Buckles

Apart from the fact that there are probably enough buttons already in the world, enough to last our needs well into the future, if you have to buy new buttons or buckles, consider buying ones made from coconut shell. This is a renewable resource, as well as being a product with several uses, such as: coconut milk; desiccated coconut; livestock feed; the coir is used to make ropes, mats, brushes and potting compost; coconut oil; and of course buttons. The rest of the tree is able to be used in many ways as well, but for now I’ll concentrate on the coconut shell. It is made into buttons fairly easily, with no chemicals being used in the process, which consists of boiling, scraping to clean, cutting and drying. The varnishes may not be entirely environmentally friendly, but at least when you’ve finished using a coconut button or it gets lost somehow, it will eventually biodegrade.

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #159 Ride an Electric Bike

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #159 Ride an Electric Bike

If you cannot ride a bicycle, walk or car-pool to get to your destination, an electric bike gives you another option for helping the planet. It takes most of the hard work out of riding an ordinary push bike while still allowing the breeze to brighten your cheeks while you travel. You can either purchase a conversion kit to install on your current bicycle or buy an electric bike already fitted out. Either way, you will be making a further contribution to the benefit of the planet.

By using your bicycle in a conventional manner you can still improve fitness by pedalling as long and hard as you choose. When you get tired, or have a massive hill ahead of you, simply switch over to your electric power and breeze along with ease. You will save time by not having to wait for public transport, it will be convenient to hop on any time you need it and can even carry home a couple of bags of groceries. Instead of using the car to pop to the shops for a few things, take the electric bike. It will be easier to park as well. Riding an electric bike produces far less pollution than a car, uses fewer natural resources and has less of an impact on the planet. It could be a valuable investment, so consider an electric bike as a transportation option.

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #158 Share Tools

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #158 Share Tools

Sharing tools is a terrific way to avoid the financial outlay for something you may seldom use if you are able to borrow it from a friend or family member, but the gift of sharing with others what you already own is best offered first before expecting people to lend you their tools. Trust and respect are important for this Flower to work properly. Trust that others will look after your tools when they borrow them. Respect the tools you borrow from others and ensure you return them promptly and in better condition than you received them. This will ensure you can borrow them again in the future.

So why am I suggesting that people share tools and how does it benefit the planet? The act of sharing is, in itself, a noble and good thing to do. It improves human relations, teaches kindness and thoughtfulness, respect and consideration – it gives and it receives. Furthermore, utilising one resource among several or many helps reduce the amount of natural resources being used to manufacture tools. It does, however, rely heavily on respect – looking after the tool/s better than if they were your own, being mindful of returning them in a timely fashion, being grateful for the favour, and giving in one’s turn.

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #157 Buy Metal/Wood Garden Tools

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #157 Buy Metal/Wood Garden Tools

Here’s another Flower for the Plastic-Free Life people, and for everyone else as well. So many garden tools are now made of plastic or have plastic components, which do have a limited life and are usually unable to be repaired when broken. Buying metal or wooden tools, particularly choosing quality tools, will ultimately save you money. Metal and wooden tools last much longer and if they are damaged or broken are generally able to be repaired.

All tools will last a long time if they are correctly used and well maintained. If they ever do come to the end of their use, the metal can be recycled and the wood will decompose back into the earth. These are much better options for the health of our planet.

1000 Flowers for the Planet - # 156 Use a Rainwater Sensor

1000 Flowers for the Planet - # 156 Use a Rainwater Sensor

In a nutshell, a rainwater sensor is a device that is connected to an automatic irrigation system, which is activated by rainfall. Once rain is detected it will shut off the irrigation system, hence saving water. They can be used in a domestic situation as well as commercial. At home you can use one with your lawn and/or garden bed irrigation systems to conserve water every time it rains. It will prevent overwatering of plants and lawn, which can cause the soil to lose nutrients and force the use of fertilisers to compensate (although by now we know to use natural fertilisers, don’t we?).

I have seen public areas – lovely big expanses of grass – being watered by giant sprinklers while it is actually raining. Therefore, not only domestic locations can benefit from a sensor. Local government bodies, councils, farmers, commercial and industrial estates can all help the planet by installing rainwater sensors. These areas are often not closely monitored by people purposefully watching out for when it rains so they can rush out and turn off the sprinklers or irrigation systems. But they can solve the problem with a rainwater sensor.

Using a rainwater sensor saves water, which means we use less of our transported natural resource, thereby saving energy and money, and helping the planet.

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #155 Cultivate Your Own Seeds

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #155 Cultivate Your Own Seeds

Have you ever thought of cultivating your own seeds in the garden? If you grow your own fruit and veges this would be a valuable extension to the wonderful work you’re already doing by growing good, healthy, organic foods. Mother Nature sorted out all the science a very long time ago. All you have to do is follow through by gathering seeds from your existing crops and nurturing them into the next generation of plants. It may take some practice, maybe a few failures at first, but with persistence you’re bound to achieve success. This way you continue to feed yourself and your family delicious organic fruits and vegetables, contribute to good health, save money and help look after the planet.

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #154 Sow Heritage Seeds

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #154 Sow Heritage Seeds

Heritage seeds, or heirloom seeds, are the seeds of plants that have not been genetically modified or engineered in any way. They’ve been passed down through generations of farmers and gardeners who have preserved these seeds for the future.

Multinational companies have been interfering with plant production for generations now, selling farmers and home growers seeds which will only grow one crop. Any seeds gathered from these first generation crops will not produce another crop, hence the farmers must return to the multinationals to buy more seed. The multinationals are less interested in food production than they are in gross profits – and power.

We, the people, do have the power to stop this. We can return to Mother Earth and grow plants and crops from heirloom/heritage seeds that are designed by nature to continue the healthy circle of life. Here in Australia we have The Diggers Club which has been working tirelessly for over twenty years to ensure heirloom seeds never disappear. Support healthy living by sowing heritage seeds.

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #153 Return Plastic Pots to the Nursery

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #153 Return Plastic Pots to the Nursery

The plant nursery trade is responsible for the production and waste of millions and millions of plastic pots that are, more often than not, single use plastic which is dumped into landfill. Unfortunately the fact that these pots are cheap to produce, easy to transport, and have allowed the industry to grow into industrial scale production of plants everywhere, has created a waste issue that is being overlooked and under-addressed.

Before the invention of plastic pots, nurseries were exactly what the name implies – they were places where plants were grown in the ground. Customers would make their purchases, which were then carefully dug from the ground with as much root ball as possible, then wrapped in hessian for transporting home where the plant would be replanted into the customer’s garden. Other methods were to sell plants bare rooted or in terracotta pots.

The nursery industry has made some minor attempts at addressing the problem of plastic pot waste, including schemes whereby the customer may return the pot to the nursery for recycling. A major hardware retailer in Australia used to collect plastic plant pots for reuse and recycling but sadly they don’t do this anymore. So I checked vigorously for a nursery in my area that would take back the plastic pots and found not one. I did find a nursery in Sydney but the 885 kilometre drive sort of put me off. I also found good lists of places in the United States and Canada where pots can be recycled, which is a huge tick for those countries’ initiative at addressing this problem.

Australia needs to pick up its game. When buying plants from your local nursery, ask them if they recycle their pots, and if not, suggest they do and encourage them to take up the challenge, or shop at a nursery which will.

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #152 Eliminate Antibacterial Products

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #152 Eliminate Antibacterial Products

The use of products with antibacterial and antimicrobial agents is resulting in more microbes being exposed to and therefore developing resistance to these agents. Bacteria is capable of evolving and becoming more virulent than ever before. Somehow we’ve become afraid of bacteria, thinking that all bacteria are detrimental to good health, but this is not the case. A lot of bacteria are very good for us, in fact, they help our immunity and keep us healthy. By using antibacterial products, good bacteria are eliminated along with the bad and we therefore develop more allergies as our immune systems weaken. Children, in particular, will grow up with weaker immune systems if not permitted to encounter a vast variety of microbes and allergens. By using antibacterial products, we weaken ourselves and create microbes that are resistant to many antibiotics used in healthcare today.

There is a great deal available to read on the Internet in regards to this matter. It’s another one of those mine fields. So many studies have been done with varying and opposing results – I would be interested to know who funded each study. Nonetheless, grandma wasn’t a complete and utter twit, and in this matter she is probably right. Good old fashioned soap will keep things clean enough, and we all need to take on board a few microbes now and then. It makes sense from a financial perspective to eliminate antibacterial products from your household, and errs on the safer side of the health issue.

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #151 Carry a Handkerchief

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #151 Carry a Handkerchief

This Flower may not change the world dramatically, but rather than use tissues all the time, carry a handkerchief that can be washed along with your regular washing. It’s only a small thing to do, but makes a difference to the amount of waste, use of resources and saves money. I can certainly understand how some people are repulsed by the use of handkerchiefs when dealing with the effects of a cold, but if it’s only to wipe dirty hands, or dry up some tears, or deal with children’s grubby faces than every little bit counts, and this Flower has something to contribute to the planet.

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #150 Repair Clothes

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #150 Repair Clothes

With clothes being so inexpensive these days it’s very easy to decide to toss away an item of clothing that may simply need repairing. However, the actual ‘cost’ of that piece of clothing is far greater than many people stop to consider. If it was really cheap in the first place, it’s possible it was made with extremely cheap or even slave labour. That bears an incredibly serious human cost.

A second cost is to the environment. Much of our clothing is made from synthetic fibres these days, and when put into landfill does not decompose. Wool, a natural fibre, does break down but causes methane. Tonnes and tonnes of clothing is put into landfill each year (one million tonnes in the UK alone – how much must it be worldwide?!). Much of what we throw away could be repaired to continue it’s useful life. This is one of the arts our grandparents knew but which younger people are not bothering to continue – the ability to repair and renew. Whilst it has been very nice indeed to see a resurgence in home sewing this past decade, possibly due to the Global Financial Crisis, there is still the idea that patched or repaired clothing is unacceptable. But we should consider it an opportunity for creativity, find a fun way to make the necessary repairs and do our bit for the planet.

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #149 Turn Off Your Mouse

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #149 Turn Off Your Mouse

Here’s a very simple, easy to do, minor action that can help make a difference. Turn of your mouse – the computer kind of course. Turn your mouse over and check. You’ll find an on/off button. So many of us use a wireless mouse these days, and batteries that need replacing now and then power them. You can almost double the life of the batteries by turning off the mouse when you are not using it. For some this may be overnight, for others more diligent the mouse can easily be switched off every time you walk away from the computer. It’s a matter of habit. Ultimately, extending battery life means reducing the number of batteries put into landfill, where they leak dangerous toxins; or slowing down the number needing to be recycled. It also saves you money.

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #148 Utilise Your Local Library

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #148 Utilise Your Local Library

Have you been to your local library lately? It’s a great place, not just for books but for music as well. They have everything from children’s picture books, teen novels, adult fiction, non fiction on any topic imaginable, large print, music CDs, sheet music, magazines, reference material, computer access, local and family history and so much more. And it’s free!! Everything they have at your local library is free to look at and a lot of it can be borrowed and taken home for a while. You can find a spot to sit and read a book for a while, catch up with the news with the latest newspaper, take your laptop and do some research or stroll around the shelves perusing the books available for loan. You can also obtain assistance from your friendly librarian, who can help find what you’re looking for or put you in the right direction.

How does this help the planet? The library provides the means by which items can be used by multiple users. Instead of buying magazines or newspapers you can read them at the library, saving resources and preventing extra paper having to be recycled. Borrowing music CDs means you’re not purchasing plastic that you may eventually put into landfill. And you never know who you might meet – I attended a wedding last year for a bride a groom who met at their local library. Now isn’t that sweet.

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #147 Illegalise Factory Farming

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #147 Illegalise Factory Farming

Pigs (sows) are kept in cages, called sow stalls, that are barely the size of the animal, so they cannot even turn around. They are then continually impregnated to bear litters until they can do so no more, then killed. Pigs produced for meat on a factory farm spend their whole lives indoors. Piglets are removed from their mothers prematurely, causing stress, have their teeth clipped causing up to 15 days of extreme pain, and the males are castrated without any pain relief. Pigs farmed in this manner can suffer depression and related illnesses because they never see the light of day, are kept in cages with concrete floors and only get to feel the great outdoors on the way to the slaughterhouse.

Hens kept for egg production live their entire lives in cages approximately the size of an A4 sheet of paper. They cannot turn around or stretch their wings. The base of the cage is tilted at an angle to make the egg roll down to one end for collection. They never see the light of day and are kept in an artificial light which is turned off and on in order to create a shorter night and day, tricking the hens into laying more eggs than they naturally would. Once they are about 21 months old and their egg production slows, they are slaughtered. Hens are capable of living up to 10 years in natural conditions.

Cattle spend up to a year in feedlots where they are grain fed before being slaughtered. This means they are crowded into confined areas, sometimes on concrete, where they remain in their own refuse until they die.

Researching for this Flower is extremely draining. I haven’t looked at what happens to sheep, and need to ask you to research for yourself, open your eyes to the practices out there, which are a response to the high demands of so many people on this planet for massive amounts of meat, milk and dairy products at the lowest prices possible. This comes at the expense of the well-being of all the animals we eat. But we’re not prepared to pay the true value of the food we eat – we let the animals pay the price.

Educate yourself! Start with these websites and check out what’s happening in your own country.

https://www.voiceless.org.au

http://www.makeitpossible.com

http://www.unleashed.org.au

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #146 Illegalise Puppy Factories

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #146 Illegalise Puppy Factories

http://www.closepuppyfactories.org/ will give you an insight into the issue of puppy factories in the state of Victoria, Australia, where the RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) is taking action to fight this disgusting practice. Female dogs as young as six months old are forced to have litters of puppies continually for the rest of their life, which is often shortened in a painful way with collapsed uteruses and other medical problems. They are killed when they are no longer able to mass-produce. There is a high mortality rate of puppies born at these factories. The animals are not cared for in any way, never receive veterinary attention, are never patted, never allowed to run around or go for a walk – they are simply used as money making machines for the disgusting humans who run these factories.

Sadly, this is occurring in our own neighbourhoods here in Australia (but check if it’s happening in your part of the world too if you’re not an Aussie reader) and is allowed by the local councils. Breeders sell these puppies to pet shops, where 95% of the puppies sold come from puppy factories. They may also be sold through websites and via newspaper advertisements.

How can you prevent this from happening? Write letters to your local council demanding they illegalise these factories and prosecute the owners for animal cruelty. Sign petitions. Do NOT buy a puppy unless you are 100% sure it has come from a reputable seller/breeder and you know for sure it is not connected in any way to a puppy factory. Buy your puppy from the RSPCA or your local animal welfare centre. Spread the word – tell people about the plight of these poor dogs and get them to help fight this outrageous practice and have these factories illegalised.

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #145 Allow Animals to be Animals

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #145 Allow Animals to be Animals

Allow animals to be animals – not pets, not exploited property, not toys, not sexual aids – leave them to be wild creatures. Our collective attitude towards the animal kingdom has reached a questionable level. Why do some people think it’s okay to keep a panther, a crocodile, a monkey, or an armadillo for a pet? Animals need to live in their natural environment. Putting them into cages is inappropriate – even zoos have recongised that cages are not conducive to the well-being of an animal. Neither should they be taken from their natural climate and kept in opposing conditions e.g. a polar bear in the tropics.

Dogs and cats have been domesticated pets for years, but take a look at what the human race has done to them over the centuries with inbreeding that has completely changed them from their original makeup. We have cats with pushed in faces, flattened ears, spotted like leopards or purposely bred to be miniature. We have dogs with long backs and short legs, pushed in faces, bulging eyes, a huge range of sizes and specific temperaments for various ‘jobs’. Humans have created this variety and given them all different names such as Poodle, Labrador, Kelpie and Great Dane. Now another wave of created creatures is being produced with Labradoodles, Schnoodle and Cava-poo-chon. Often there are health issues for these poor creatures. Where does it end?

Cats and dogs have been our companions for millennia and will continue to be so, but let’s allow them to behave appropriate to their species. Understand the nature of your cat or dog, that they need exercise, fresh air, and food that closely resembles what they would eat if they lived in the wild (not chocolate cake with cream). They are also not toys, to be played with like they are little dolls to be dressed up, or carried around in handbags as an accessory. They do not exist for the pleasure of the wealthy, to buy only because they can afford it and wish to show off. Animals should not be exploited property, used for profit by being forced into unnatural behaviours. They should not be tortured for sexual pleasure (please don’t ask me to go into any detail on that point) or used as experiments in the backyard by bored teenagers.

None of this honours the beautiful creatures with which we share this planet. Allow them to remain in the wild where they can behave naturally and live as they were intended to live. Respect them, give them space and learn to enjoy them as they are, not for what they can give us, because they don’t owe us a thing.

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #144 Use a Staple-Free Stapler

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #144 Use a Staple-Free Stapler

Having suggested in Flower 143 that we think about avoiding stapling as much as possible, when there is a need to keep several sheets of paper together, use a staple-free stapler. It is a tool that punches through the sheets, using a strip from the top sheet, which is pushed through and folded around the others to keep them together. Many shops and restaurants could use this tool, as they so often attach an eftpos receipt to a register receipt.

Using a staple-free stapler would create less bulk when filing in a ring binder (you know how the pages all lift up on the top left corner when you have lots of staples and eventually the folder doesn’t close properly). It would also prevent wasting lots of little pieces of steel.

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #143 Avoid Using Staples

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #143 Avoid Using Staples

I found a website that states a billion tonnes of steel was used every year just in the manufacture of staples. Unfortunately I cannot substantiate that figure with any other reliable source, but even if we only used a tonne of steel every year, that’s a lot of ore out of the ground for a tiny piece of metal simply to keep two pieces of paper together. Think about what we’re doing when we grab the stapler and snap away mindlessly – why are we doing this? Do we really need the two pieces of paper to be stuck to each other? Could a paperclip be used instead? Is it to keep things together permanently or temporarily? If permanently, then a staple is likely the most useful method, but if it is only for a temporary reason, reconsider the task and see if there is a different way of approaching it.

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #142 Cancel Phone Directories

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #142 Cancel Phone Directories

This may not be a big issue in other countries but in Australia we’re often behind the times, and here we still have paper phone directories delivered automatically to every household. You can cancel this automatic delivery by contacting the phone directory company e.g. whitepages, yellowpages. There seem to be a number of different phone directories printed now, all vying for our attention and advertising dollars. If you have a computer with access to the Internet, you can find any number there that you would previously have looked up in a phone directory.

By cancelling your phone directories to save many resources, including trees, fuel, water, energy, transportation costs and environmental impact. You also save from the opposite end – end of use costs involved in recycling an old directory, which include all of the aforementioned resources.

Beware: the phone directory company will automatically begin delivery of hard copy phone directories again every five years unless you opt out by phone or email. Check out their procedures on their website, and continue the good work of saving natural resources.

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #141 Avoid PVC

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #141 Avoid PVC

PVC is Polyvinyl Chloride, or what we generally refer to as ‘vinyl’. It is a plastic. For those who wish to lead a plastic free life, vinyl products will be included in that list of objects to avoid. Mostly we think of vinyl as a type of flooring, which it is, but it is found in so many other things too, such as those soft plastic toys made for babies and young children.

I’ve tried to do some objective research about PVC but it’s a minefield. As usual, you can find sites that will tell you PVC is a dangerous, deadly substance, and you can find sites that tell you it is perfectly safe. In 1983 there was a fire in a theatre in Turin, Italy, in which 64 people died, most from inhalation of toxic fumes from the plastic covers on the seats. Realising 20 years have passed since then, maybe plastic/PVC production has improved to make it safe/r, and the website at www.pvc.org will tell you PVC is perfectly safe. Greenpeace’s website has had it’s article about the dangers of PVC removed, so that was interesting, and I’ve not found any reliably ‘official’ website that condemns vinyl. BUT – the State of New Jersey, U.S.A., Department of Human Services does state that PVC contains phthalates and that phthalates were banned from children’s toys in 2008 and it goes on to recommend safer alternatives for children’s school supplies (source: http://www.state.nj.us/humanservices/opmrdd/health/pvc.html  accessed 5 March 2014). Why would a government body take this step without at least a degree of concern?  

What concluded me in the end to make this Flower suggestion is the idea that it’s better to be safe than sorry. I’d rather avoid something we’re not 100% sure about until proven otherwise. Maybe that proof will never come, but as I’ve already suggested that using less plastic in our lives would be a good thing for our planet, we can look at PVC as an undesirable landfill product, made from oil which is a non-sustainable resource, and it’s difficult to recycle, so let’s avoid it.

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #140 Use Paperclips

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #140 Use Paperclips

Sometimes it’s necessary to keep several pages of paper together and for this I suggest using paperclips in preference to staples. Paper clips are reusable items, seldom cause injury, are easily removed and do not leave holes in the paperwork. Naturally I’m assuming you’ve already considered carefully before printing anything out anyway, and questioned the need for a hard copy document, but until our brains are able to realign to the idea of a paper free society, we may need to keep our paperwork together with a reusable paperclip – and a plastic free one at that.

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #139 Preserve Your Native Fauna

 1000 Flowers for the Planet - #139 Preserve Your Native Fauna

I am so proud to be Australian and take a great deal of pleasure from the gorgeous and unusual animals we have in my country. They are completely unique to us and for this reason it is incredibly important that we preserve them, look after them, and ensure their survival way into the future. Of all the countries in the world, I think Australia has the most diverse and unique range of native fauna. We should be leaders in demonstrating how best to care for the creatures with whom we share a nation. Nature knows the best way for biodiversity to thrive. Nature is able to balance flora and fauna with weather patterns, landscapes and water availability. When we interfere with this balance we threaten the existence of species. We have a great deal of knowledge making us capable of doing the right thing by our fauna, and hence ourselves, yet we more often choose to do the wrong thing because it’s easier.

Think more about the animals that inhabit your corner of the world, and the impact you are having on them, then see what you can do that is the ‘right’ thing by your native fauna. Every positive action helps.

Healthy Apples??

Here are three apples I put aside in a bowl in the kitchen - three months ago!! They have only recently begun to wrinkle. They were purchased from my local grocer and were grown in my own country, but I wanted to see how long they would last, to see what type of food I was eating. I should have bought an organic apple at the same time to compare the results.

Even when they were cut open they looked fine. I could probably have cut off the skin and stewed the apples, but refrained - they went into my biofermenter.

Clean Up Australia Day

My husband and I with our local MP at our local park, Clean Up Australia Day 2014

Fower #115 suggested to Participate in Clean Up Australia Day. That was today, 2 March 2014, and my husband and I, plus our daughter and her boyfriend, joined several others to clean up a local park. The park would be about two acres in size and we spent an hour and a half picking up lots of different things such as:

lolly (candy) wrappers, beer bottles and broken glass, pieces of plastic, lots and lots of cigarette buts, underwear, a backpack, a car tyre, a burst balloon on a string.

What struck me most was the amount of deteriorated plastic, but the issue is that it doesn't compost into the ground, it breaks into smaller and smaller parts, therefore the same total quantity is there, just in many, many pieces. It was like trying to pick up a piece of peeled paint - it fell apart in your hand, which made it difficult to collect in it's entirety. These pieces of plastic easily find their way into our water systems where they are then ingested by fish, and then we eat the fish - so it comes back to us in the end.

The amount of broken glass (smashed beer bottles) was quite astounding and very difficult to gather as a lot of it was broken into rather tiny pieces.

We also saw dumped garden waste. People who live nearby must weed their garden and take this rubbish down to the park to dump it instead of dealing with it themselves. That's rather disgusting. 

I really don't know why we don't look to other countries to learn from those that do things really well. Switzerland is a magnificent country, extremely tidy without a piece of rubbish anywhere. How do they do it? Is it a conscious action on their part, or are they just better people - people with a greater respect for themselves and where they live?

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #138 Preserve Your Native Flora

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #138 Preserve Your Native Flora

I live in a beautiful country. Here in Australia we have the most amazing native flora and fauna, and for that reason we have really strict border protection and biosecurity. It’s important that we preserve our native flora because it’s what sustains our native animals. Sadly there are many introduced species that have been extremely detrimental to our native flora: things like cane toads, rabbits, weedy cacti and blackberries. We need to make concerted efforts to decrease the impact of these nasty introductions for the sake of the environment, for it is our environment which sustains us. By looking after native plants, and ensuring the land works in its natural form, we ultimately support ourselves. This doesn’t just apply to my own wonderful country, but to every gorgeous country on the planet – and they’re all gorgeous in their own way. So wherever you live, look after your native flora.

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #137 Avoid Palm Oil

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #137 Avoid Palm Oil

-->

Palm oil is responsible for the near extinction of the orangutan in Borneo as well as the Asian elephant, Sumatran rhinoceros and tiger. This is due to rainforest habitats being burned for clearing so that palm trees can be planted for the palm oil industry. Apart from the CO2 emissions this burning creates, adding to global warming, there are many species that are threatened to become extinct. Last year’s figures indicate that in Sumatra (Indonesia) there remain only 6,300 orangutans with 1,000 being killed annually. Will it be worth it?

If we avoid products containing palm oil the manufacturers won’t make enough money to sustain production. In Australia about fifty percent of our packaged foods contain palm oil! It can be found in biscuits, batters, chips, vegetable oil, cosmetics, toothpaste, shampoo, soap, and so much more. Read the labels. Check what happens in your own country. Don’t sacrifice animals in other countries just for your own convenience. Fight for them.

Read more at: http://www.orangutan.org.au/palm-oil